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Along with saturated fat and cholesterol, sodium is one nutrient that should be consumed in careful moderation. Although food manufacturers are required to list all the ingredients included in food and beverage products, it can be difficult to identify sodium within these ingredient lists. Knowing the different names for sodium can help you slowly eliminate excess sodium from your diet and help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Sodium

A small amount of dietary sodium is necessary for healthy body functioning. When combined with chloride and potassium, it helps maintain the body’s fluid balance and normal blood pressure, allows for muscle contraction and transmits electrical impulses between nerves. Sodium occurs naturally in some foods, such as meat, seafood and some grains. However, it’s also added in copious amounts to other types of foods to enhance the taste or preserve the freshness.

Other Names

When trying to eliminate sodium from your diet, scan the ingredient list before eating or drinking anything. Any ingredient with “sodium” or “Na” -- the chemical name for sodium -- in its name contains the substance. Sodium might also be labeled as baking soda, baking powder, monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium phosphate or salt.

Recommended Intake

Healthy adults should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, according to the Colorado State University Extension website. This amount is roughly 1 teaspoon of the salty stuff -- a relatively small amount, considering the quantity of salt contained in packaged and processed foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that people with certain risk factors should consume even less sodium. People with high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney disease and anyone over age 51 or of African American ethnicity should aim for no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

Dangers

Too much sodium in the body is a key contributor to hypertension, a condition characterized by high blood pressure. Within the body, water follows sodium in and out of cells and tissues. When a high amount of sodium accumulates in the bloodstream, water rushes into the bloodstream as well. As the volume of blood increases, the pressure within the blood vessels also increases -- resulting in high blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and kidney damage.

Pair it With Potassium

If you think your diet might be high in sodium, indulge in potassium-rich foods. Although additional research is necessary to determine the exact link between the nutrients, potassium seems to lessen the dangerous effects of sodium. Foods high in potassium include bananas, potatoes, squash, spinach, raisins, cantaloupe, beans and lentils.